Advocacy

Individuals and communities prosper when residents have access to gainful employment and businesses have access to a skilled workforce; that’s at the heart of making the people who live or work in our region thrive.

At Charlotte Works, we believe that careers are for everyone. We advocate for workforce system change and educate key stakeholders about system alignment and resources. Why? Because we’re here to help create a talent pipeline that meets industry demands. Our Careers4All initiative lays the groundwork to prepare residents for skill-based careers with transparent pathways for growth that meets, and creates, economic demand. Learn more about our strategies to create #Careers4All.

With nearly 800,000 Dreamers across the country, 97 percent of them work and/or attend school. While we share moral concerns for Dreamers as American residents, their contributions to our workforce and overall economy have a significant impact.

Community Poverty Indicator

The Community Poverty Indicators highlight various indicators of poverty across Mecklenburg County based on zip codes. Hover over each map in the tabs below for additional data:

Poverty Indicators – an overall picture of poverty within each zip code.

Housing Affordability – displays where housing is most unaffordable in Mecklenburg County. Affordability is determined by whether the median monthly income is higher than the median rent price in each zip code. Areas shaded in teal indicate those where the median monthly income is lower than the median rent price.

Digital Access – displays the percentage of residents who have access to broadband internet in each zip code. Lighter shades of green represent areas where many of the residents don’t have broadband internet access; darker shades indicate that most of the residents do have access.

Resource Deserts – each zip code was determined to be a resource desert if the data for the highlighted category was less than the county average.

Job Desert – described as a zip code with a low concentration of jobs (job density). The average job density for Mecklenburg County is 646,062 jobs – or 1.9 jobs per acre. Areas shaded in red indicate a job desert.

Health Care Desert – described as a zip code in which residents have limited access to Medicaid provider or a free clinic. The average percentage of those in Mecklenburg County with access to a health care provider is 95,876 – or 23 percent of housing units. Areas shaded in purple indicate a health care desert.

Food Desert – described as a zip code in which residents have limited access to a chain grocery store. The average percentage of those with access to a grocery store in Mecklenburg County is 124,594 – or 30 percent of housing units. Areas shaded in green represent a food desert.

Child Care Desert – described as a zip code in which residents have limited access to early childcare providers. The average percentage of those with access to early childcare in Mecklenburg County is 268,007 – or 65 percent of housing units. Areas shaded in yellow represent a child care desert.